I’m Karpov a Russian photographer currently living in Detroit. I had planned on being in the field for a nonprofit starting April 1st. Since COVID-19 hit, I cannot travel abroad so I did the next best thing, I looked up a few nonprofits in the area I could work with as a volunteer. I started with Forgotten Harvest in late March attending various outdoor food banks across Detroit and the metro areas.

Looking through his lens, photographer Kenny Karpov tries to capture who people truly are — their expressions, their bodies and the light in their eyes. His emotional portraits, paired with written work, tell their stories.

In Karpov’s latest project, the book “Despite It All We Never Learn,” he tells the stories of refugees, the real people going through travails on a journey toward better and safer lives.

“Despite It All We Never Learn” is a collection of short essays and 85 testimonials from refugees that were recorded and written while Karpov was volunteering in the Mediterranean Sea onboard various rescue vessels operated by non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The purpose of the project is to increase awareness of the existence of the people taking to the sea and the abuses they endured through their own words.

An exhibition of Karpov's work will be on view at M Contemporary Art from November 22 - December 14, 2019.